Mental and Behavioral Health
US News reports that apps, teletherapy and other digital tools are helping colleges tackle the problem of student mental health. Digital mental health integration, ranging from computer-based assessment and diagnosis, to predictive analysis of risk factors for future issues, allows administrators to tailor interventions to the individual student. Technologies like self- guided apps for therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and teletherapy that links students with counselors or peers with specialized skills or cultural competencies provide anonymity and can reduce the stigma of seeking help. According to US News, digital health is cost effective and scalable, and exponentially increases the number of students who can receive treatment.
A new state law in Illinois is requiring that public colleges and universities provide information to students on all mental health and suicide prevention resources available.
According to Emerson College’s student newspaper, the Berkeley Beacon, the school enacted a four-year plan in the fall in collaboration with the JED Foundation that is aimed at bolstering mental health resources and services. Director of Emerson Counseling and Psychological Services Elise Harrison told the paper that high stress, mounting career pressures, and feelings of isolation are causing more students to seek mental health services. High priorities in the report include social connectedness, mental health screenings, care coordination between departments, and self-harm prevention. The college has begun addressing some of these goals already. The Center for Health and Wellness is working to create a comprehensive online database of Emerson’s mental health services. Counseling hours have been extended for students with the addition of a new psychologist. Additionally, the JED workgroup calls for “gatekeeper training,” which includes preparing students, faculty, and staff to identify, reach out to, and refer others to available resources and services. “There are a lot of students out there that are still not getting help and really need more services and support,” said Harrison.
A Connecticut task force has been charged with recommending a statewide policy for mental health services offered for college students. Courtney Cullinan, deputy chief of staff and director of policy for the Connecticut Senate Democrats, said lawmakers have concerns about the availability of counselors on college campuses and whether mental health services are being utilized.
A new study reveals that when college students post about feelings of depression on Facebook, their friends are unlikely to encourage them to seek help. In the small study, none of the 33 participating students said their friends told them they should reach out to a mental health professional to discuss their problems. Instead, most friends simply sent supportive or motivating messages. Scottye Cash, lead author of the study and professor of social work at The Ohio State University said that may not be good enough for people who are depressed. “It makes me concerned that none of the Facebook friends of students in this study were proactive in helping their friend get help,” Cash said. “We need to figure out why.” The research, published online recently in the journal JMIR Research Protocols, is part of a larger online study of health outcomes of 287 students at four universities in the Midwest and West.
In The Conversation, Marty Swanbrow Becker, Associate Professor of Psychological and Counseling Services at Florida State University wrote that colleges, in addition to offering individual counseling, should focus on population health and prevention. According to Becker, these efforts can range from creating more shared spaces to increase social connections and stave off feelings of isolation, to reducing threats to student well-being like discrimination and violence. Becker argues that, by being proactive and equipping students to deal with mental health issues before they become too large to manage, fewer students will need crisis services.
Diversity and Inclusion
Last week, the New York Times reported on a promotional video produced by the homecoming committee at the University of Wisconsin at Madison that drew ire for not featuring students of color. The Chronicle compared the percentage of underrepresented minority students at the University of Wisconsin Madison and other flagship public institutions. According to Chronicle data, 48 states’ flagship public institutions enrolled a lower percentage of underrepresented minority students in their freshman class than resided in their home state. Madison was among that number; in the fall of 2017, the share of first-year minority students enrolled there was 10 percentage points lower than the share of 17- to 21-year-old underrepresented minorities living in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Public Radio reports that medical schools across the country have seen a sharp decline in rural students, adding to the concern that there are nationwide physician shortages in sparsely populated communities. Medical school students from rural areas made up less than 5 percent of all incoming medical students in 2017, according to a study in the journal Health Affairs. Rural medical students in the United States dropped by 28 percent over a 15-year period, the report said.
According to a recent analysis of federal data, first-generation and underrepresented minority students attending community colleges report they feel a greater sense of belonging at those institutions than their peers at four-year institutions. Education Dive and Inside Higher Ed report that researchers found the opposite at four-year colleges; students who were not first-generation or from underrepresented minority groups were more likely to report a higher sense of belonging there than other students. Among four-year institutions, a sense of belonging is tied to higher persistence rates, increased use of campus services and better mental health.
Inside Higher Ed examines the fallout of several incidents at American University, and the differing ways that students and administrators view them. American administrators have forcefully defended the university against allegations of racism by campus police, but, after several years of repeated racial controversies on campus, AU students of various racial backgrounds believe their university has a serious race problem. According to Inside Higher Ed, American is operating in a racial climate on campus in which an accumulation of racial controversies leads to more events being viewed through the prism of race.
In the University of California San Diego Guardian, student Geena Roberts writes that, while the University of California Regents should be commended for speaking out and fighting for the DACA program in the nation’s capital, many undocumented students on UC campuses do not receive mental health resources, feel isolated, and face physical barriers to accessing resources. According to Roberts, the UC Regents, and UC San Diego should not only fight for “Dreamers” and other undocumented students’ in the Courts and on Capitol Hill, but should do more to alleviate these obstacles to all students on campus.
The Austin American-Statesman reports that, with a Supreme Court decision on the DACA program looming, undocumented students in Texas worry about how they’ll be able to complete their studies, which can lead to severe distress, depression and anxiety.
Sexual Assault and Title IX
According to a new report published in the New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, the number of students who have sued colleges and universities for potentially botching sexual violence cases has skyrocketed in recent years. The analysis shows that federal and state courts have sided with institutions across the U.S. a little less than half of the time in cases that yielded “substantive decisions.” According to Education Dive, the legal landscape around Title IX may be shifting more as the U.S. Department of Education prepares to release its regulations around the federal sex discrimination law.
Student Success
The notion of higher education as the “great equalizer” has a long history; land-grant universities were founded with the idea of expanding access to education. That promise remains unfulfilled, according to an interactive report in The Chronicle.
Former first lady Michelle Obama will launch an Instagram TV series that will follow four college students, sharing the highs and lows of their first year experiences, in order to inspire other new students. The six-episode series, titled “A Year of Firsts,” will premiere later this month and conclude in June. The series is part of Obama’s Reach Higher initiative on higher education that she spearheaded as first lady. “By sharing their stories, they’re helping others see that the ups and downs of the first year of college are something everyone goes through – and they’re creating a supportive community for others facing similar challenges,” Obama, who is a first-generation college student, said in a statement.
Graduation rates at two-year public colleges are notoriously low but do not tell the whole story, which can hide the value of these institutions. The Chronicle reveals how focusing on graduation rates hides other measures of student success, such as transferring to a four-year institution. Data from the U.S. Department of Education don’t capture whether such transfer students eventually graduate. The Chronicle reports that, despite graduation rates in isolation being under 30%, more than 57 percent of first-time, full-time community college students accomplished one of three goals: completing within 150 percent of the normal time, transferring to another higher-education institution, or remaining enrolled at the original college.
A Chronicle interactive report examines how three colleges have discovered ways to consistently help students climb the economic ladder. The Blugold Beginnings Learning Community at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire supports students who are first generation, economically disadvantaged, or students of color. Students undergo a special orientation program, take a course that familiarizes them with university life, and are assigned a faculty or staff member as a college coach. They also get part-time jobs to help cover their costs. At Maine Maritime Academy, where nearly half the students are the first in their families to go to college and a quarter receive Pell Grants, students take a mandatory course in their first semester to help with the transition to college and path toward a career. During the course, students learn about time management, practice public speaking, and are introduced to campus services. Spelman College, where about half of students receive Pell Grants, offers a summer bridge program to help students from under-resourced high schools get academically up to speed. Advisers pay close attention to students’ performance, and writing advisers and tutors work with those who need extra support.
In 2009, President Barack Obama issued a moonshot challenge to the nation in his very first speech to Congress – to make the United States the world leader in college attainment by 2020. More than a decade after that speech, the nation has fallen far short of that goal. But, the Chronicle reports, in setting an attainment goal, the president elevated two proposals: that all adults would need some sort of postsecondary credential to succeed in the workplace, and that all students who started a degree program should complete. As a result, many institutions and states remain committed to increasing college completion, especially for students of color and those from low-income families.
Substance Use
According to a new study from Michigan State University published in the Journal of American College Health, a university-wide social norms marketing campaign at MSU has reduced high-risk drinking and adverse outcomes of drinking. The social norms campaign was created to educate MSU students about actual drinking behavior on campus, which is often lower than many students assume. When misperceptions are corrected, behavior will change to be more consistent with the actual norm, said Dennis Martell, director of MSU Health Promotion. Martell and his co-authors analyzed survey data collected every two years since 2000 and found that perceived drinking norms declined along with measures of actual drinking intensity and frequency. For example, the percentage of students who drank eight or more drinks declined from 27.8% in 2000 to 16.5% in 2014 – a 41% decline.
The Joan and Tom Skoro Collegiate Recovery Community at Oregon State University is open to students seeking a sober lifestyle during their collegiate career. According to Oregon State University Student Health Services, the significant life changes and stress associated with transitioning to college threaten many students in the substance abuse recovery process. After its launch in 2013, the community continues to expand and provide helpful resources and sober lodging to its members. Taylor Milam, the collegiate recovery coordinator, said societal stigmas regarding addiction and those who suffer from it can trickle down to the on-campus culture surrounding addiction. Those without an understanding or history of addiction may place negative stigmas upon those in recovery or still struggling with addiction.
